Zahra Studio in the news and the news according to Zahra Studio

photo by Keith Zahra

Retrogression, the exhibit on view at the Gallery at Zahra Studio was featured in Kathleen Murray's column in POJO's Friday, October 19 edition.

Keith Zahra has recently added to his website his account of his drawn out and personally expensive fight with the City of Beacon to secure his ability to lawfully operate his tatoo studio on Main St.

In his narrative, Keith mentions a law passed in December 2000 that was intended to do an end run around his business' grandfathered status for a previous regulation limiting the approved locations for tattoo parlors to industrial areas. The cited law is from Chapter 223, Article III relating to General Regulations regarding zoning in the City's code.

Below is the text of the regulation:

K. Discontinuance of existing tattoo and body-piercing
parlors. [Added 12-4-2000 by L.L. No. 18-2000]
(1) Legislative intent. The
City Council hereby finds that certain business activities, in this case tattoo and body-piercing parlors, by their nature have seriously objectionable operational characteristics which can lead to significant impacts on the surrounding community. The City Council further finds that the establishment of such uses would be inconsistent with the existing development and future plans for the City of Beacon in that such uses often result in influences on the community which undermine its economic, physical and social welfare. Further, such uses have been found to contribute to the blighting of surrounding residential and commercial areas as a result of the deterring of investment in and improvement of surrounding properties. For these reasons, such uses can adversely impact the general health, safety and economic well-being of the entire community. In addition, the location of these uses may be in areas where youth may regularly assemble, and the general atmosphere encompassing their operation is of great concern to the City Council.
Prohibiting the establishment of tattoo and body-piercing parlors in the City will eliminate their potential accessibility to children and ensure that the effects of such businesses will not adversely affect the health, safety and economic well-being of the community. Further, it has been the experience of other municipalities, including the City of New York, that tattooing has led to increased cases of serum hepatitis. It has also been their experience that regulatory measures have proved ineffective in eliminating this health risk because of the inability to supervise tattooing establishments at all times. The City of Beacon also lacks the resources and personnel to supervise tattooing establishments on an ongoing basis. Accordingly, the City Council finds that in this City, as in other communities, a ban on tattooing
establishments under the City Code, except for medical purposes, is the only
feasible means of protecting the public against disease from this source.

(2) Discontinuance. The following provisions pertain to tattoo and body-piercing parlors which are in existence on the effective date of this section. Said tattoo and body-piercing parlors shall be discontinued for the reasons stated in Subsection K(1) above, in accordance with the following schedule which is based upon the amount of
capital investment involved in the conversion of a subject premises into a tattoo and/or body-piercing parlor. The owner of each building or the operator of each establishment to which this section pertains shall provide capital investment information, which has been certified by a registered architect or engineer, to the Building Department, and the Building Department shall have the authority to make the final determination as to the amount of capital investment which has occurred.
Capital Investment as of Effective Date of this Section
Date on or Before Which Use Shall Terminate
$0 to 25,000 June 30, 2001
$25,001 to $50,000 June 30, 2002
More than $50,000 June 30, 2003

The section I highlighted in red sounds more indicative of the kind of activity you're likely to find outside of our Main St. gas stations than what you'd ever see happening at Zahra's.

Keith has been touting October 15 of this year as the Lucky 7 Year Anniversary of when his struggle began.

It seems like this issue is still very much open, and so is Zahra Studio, but Keith wants this regulation stricken from the books so that he can operate lawfully and without fear of any capricious action of enforcement.

Folkert De Jong at HVCCA, opening reception and artist talk Oct. 21

Folkert de Jong, Studio view (detail) of Mount Maslow (2007)Styrofoam, polyurethane foam and pigment. Dimensions variable

Over the past week, Folkert De Jong has been taking a neatly stacked mountain of styrofoam blocks crowded into the storage and classroom areas at the HVCCA in Peekskill, and creating a slightly less tidy mountain for his current installation entitled Mount Maslow which will be opening this Sunday at the museum.

Folkert, who gave a highly enjoyable talk about his work at HVCCA back in November of 2005 will again be giving a talk at 4 pm on Sunday, Oct 21. A reception will follow the talk.

Gallery Talk @ Ann St Gallery Oct 21 2pm

Image by Eugene Cuttica.

On Sunday, Oct 21at 2pm, the Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh will be hosting a gallery talk in conjunction with the current group exhibit, Chi.

Argentinean artist Eugene Cuttica will be giving a talk entitled "Art as Chi."

Chi refers to the natural energy of the Universe, which according to Mr. Cuttica “permeates everything, all matter from the smallest atoms and molecules to the largest planets and stars. It is the vital force of life”. Mr. Cuttica will talk about how to connect to the “CHI” energy inherent in all things, and how “CHI” has been an inspirational force in the creating of his own artworks.

The Ann Street Gallery group exhibition entitled “CHI” features the work of nine Latin American artists and runs to October 27th.

This show was curated by Gallery Director Virginia Walsh and co-curator
Alejandro Dron.
Both events are free and open to the public. For more
information, please contact the gallery at: (845) 562-6940 x 8 or (845) 656-1132

Panel discussion & book signing @ Fovea Exhibitions Gallery Beacon, Oct 20

Photograph by Ron Haviv.Young teenage girls leave a refugee camp to gather firewood. For some the work will take
more than seven hours, and lead them past government checkpoints, which leaves them
vulnerable to attacks. Girls as young as 8 years old have been attacked, raped and killed
trying to collect fuel and water.

In conjunction with the current exhibition of work by Ron Haviv, The Children of Darfur, Fovea Exhibitions Gallery Beacon will be hosting a panel discussion and book signing.

The panel discussion, scheduled for 4pm, will focus on the current situation in Darfur. Participating panelists are: Ron Haviv, Alison Morley of the International Center for Photography and Ellie Tolmie of UNICEF.

After the discussion, Ron Haviv will be signing copies of the book Darfur, twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan (a compilation of images by world renown photographers)

Haviv's exhibit will be on view through Nov 4.

Open Friday through Sunday, 11am to 6pm, and by appointment.
Group tours available, please call 845 765 2199 or e-mail:info@foveaeditions.org
FOVEA EXHIBITIONS BEACON GALLERY 143 MAIN STREET BEACON NY 12508

Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery launches program with talks by Ron Haviv

Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery is launching an educational outreach program. This first endeavor in this program will happen Ron Haviv will be speaking with local junior high school students at the gallery on Friday Nov. 19.

The students are attending as a part of a local program designed to provide
lower-income youth with educational after-school alternatives to spending
time in the streets.

Earlier in the day, Haviv will be visiting with students of Beacon High and Washington High Schools.

Mr. Haviv is donating his time to educate these and other students on the plight
of the refugees in Darfur, including stories about young Sudanese teenagers
roughly the same age as the children to whom he will be lecturing. Mr. Haviv
will also be visiting the Beacon High School and Washingtonville High School
students earlier in the day. FOVEA is an educational charity designed to
promote awareness of international and domestic news events through the works
of photojournalism. It opened in May of this year, and this event marks the
start of FOVEA’s educational programs with regional schools and community
organizations.

For more information contact the directors:
Sabine Meyer 917 848 3436 SMeyer@FoveaEditions.Org
Stephanie Heimann 845 765 2199 Stephanie@FoveaEditions.Org

The Beacon Institute hosts free seminar on digital photography in November

Nature photographer Robert Rodrigues Jr will be giving a free seminar on digital photography on Nov. 17 from 6-7:30 at the Beacon Institute at 199 Main St. RSVP by Nov. 10 to reserve a seat. Contact information and details on the seminar here.

Currently on exhibit in the gallery at the Beacon Institute are the photographs of Beacon photographer John Fasulo. John's work will be on exhibit at the gallery through January 2008.

James Westwater at Navta Schulz Gallery in Chicago

Plywood Chateau by James Westwater.

James Westwater hit the road this morning. He's heading out to Chicago with a couple of his Plywood Chateaux pieces and other work that will be in the exhibit "Plywood Chateaux" opening on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Navta Schulz Gallery. James' work will be on exhibit through Nov. 24.

Second Saturday revisited

I bagged my plans to head down to the city on Saturday. I wasn't feeling the passion, and I had stuff to do in preparation for my exhibit in Denver in two weeks.

So staying home allowed me to catch the conversation between Open Space Beacon's Dan Weise and Michael De Feo whose work is currently on exhibit at the gallery. I appreciated the format of the two guys sitting and talking. De Feo spoke about his development in the Street art scene, and the different artists that inspired him. De Feo also spoke about his full time career of teaching at a school in Connecticut, and the fine line he must walk between the expectations set for him as a teacher, and the process of practicing his art which can bring him in conflict with the law.

DJ Bobby Collins at Open Space.

Retrogression at Zahra's Studio.

After the discussion, I stopped into the exhibit at Zahra's Studio, and met the new gallery curator, Vanessa. The exhibit documents several derilict locations in the area. Each location photographed was accompanied by a small timeline of the site's former use and demise. Dennings Point is among the locations included. The trippiest of the buildings was a 50's era hotel near Albany, I believe. The condition of the space was just any other decrepit, neglected building. The bizarre part, for me, was this veneer of decay overlaid not on to an Industrial Age environment, but on a mid-century, modern interior. The building I was musing about previously is known at Bennett College, and it's located in Millbrook.

Megan Maloy at Go North.

After Zahra's, I bought a couple of artbooks discounted in the moving sale at World's End Books as Deb moves the business from brick and mortar to the internet exclusively. The idea of not having a book store in town to peruse and fondle the books sucks a bit. There's alway the Beacon Reads bookstore, if you can catch when it's open.

Then on to Go North where Megan Maloy's Harford Fair photographs are on exhibit.

Those are all the openings I made it to. I ran back home to work for another couple of hours in the studio before heading back for the After Party at the Piggy Bank. Of Course there were several other openings happening, and Cafe Chronogram was happening at the Muddy Cup, but there's only so much you can see and do in one night.

One of the liquid chalk sidewalk tags that raised the hackles of various shopkeepers and landlords.

El Jef(f)e and DJ Bobby C at the Next Step at the Piggy Bank.

As there is still very little night life in Beacon to speak of (although, there is more to do, and more venues sporting live music) any dance night at the Piggy Bank has the feel of a post hibernation thaw when all the woolly critters come out and sniff each other - even now as we're heading into that frigid season.
It's a party, and because it doesn't happen very often, it feels special. This Next Step Party was put on by the folks at the Beacon Art Supply, Open Space and the Piggy Bank. It was fun, the music was great and a lot of folks blew off some steam.

Dan Weise and Jim Darling doing a little live painting.

Art can bring us together, Art can tear us apart

Today's NYTimes Magazine has a lengthy article by Joe Nocera titled chronicling the working relationship of former Dia Foundation Board Chairman, Leonard Riggio and former Dia Foundation Director Michael Govan. I've only just perused the article thus far, but as it is a business and not an arts article, it gives a good overview of the museum and foundation to anyone not familiar with the institution. The article tracks the inner workings of the Foundation from the point when both men became involved with it, to when they departed from it, and through today under the leadership of Jeff Weiss, who came on as Director earlier this year.

Links:
Feb 20, 2007-Carol Vogel article on the appointment of Jeffrey Weiss as Govan's replacement.
May 17, 2007-Carol Vogel article on the resignation of Riggio from the Dia Art Foundation's board.

Openings tonight

Again, here it is, Second Saturday again. Once again.

Megan Maloy, Shaving with Cows.

Harford Fair, an exhibit of photographs by Megan Maloy opens at Go North; reception from 6-9pm. The exhibit runs through Nov 4.

VanBrunt Gallery opens tonight with exhibits of work by Christie Scheele and Tom Christopher. The opening reception is happening from 6-9pm. At 9pm, VanBrunt will be doing a public screening of "First Person" a selection of video work curated by Robert Ladislas Derr and Marcy B Freedman.

New bau member Tom Holmes will be exhibiting his sculpture at bau. The reception happens from 6-9pm.

I know there are other openings happening today, but I don't have the information, nor the time to cull the information.

Don't forget, Open Space is hosting an artist talk by Michael De Feo at 5pm., and beginning at 9pm, NEXT STEP - The Second Saturday After Party at Piggy Bank. See my previous post for details.

I'm off to Manhattan, I hope to be back for the After Party later on.

"Retrogression" at Zahra Studio Gallery

The Gallery at Zahra's Studio at 496 Main St. is coming out of hiatus. If I'm not mistaken, the last exhibit at the gallery was this graffitti show in August 2006, which was excellent. Keith Zahra has announced that the gallery is back, with a new gallery curator, Vanessa Tellez.

The exhibit "Retrogression" features the photographs of Andrew Sorkin and Tony Alves. The exhibit opened on Oct 6 and will run through Oct 30. There will be an opening party from 6-10pm on Saturday, Oct 13.

Here's a statement from the photographers.

Abandoned... Decaying... Forgotten...

All around us are the remains of buildings and structure where generations of
people lived, worked, played and were cared for. What were
once important parts of our society have been left unattended and
crumbling. Everyday more of these sites are destroyed by fires and strip
malls, by condos and golf courses.
retrogression photography was started to document this part of our history before they are reclaimed by man or by nature. What began as a trip to shoot an abandoned steel mill before it is torn down to make room for a casino has become the main focus of our photographic activities. Many times these locations are remote
and difficult to find and just as often they are right in front of us, places we all pass everyday but seldom see. Our focus is on trying to convey the dark and derelict nature of the subjects we photograph. There are a lot more to many of these places than the visual elements. Smells and sounds are amplified by the stillness of areas
that were once the center great activity. Although many of these places are bright and colorful the mood there is not. Through the use of muted colors and black and white photography the somber reality of what these discarded relics have now become is translated to the observer.
Photographers Tony Alves and Andrew Sorkin are both long time residents of
Dutchess County, NY. We are both musicians, currently working together on
several projects. Tony has also worked as a tattoo artist. Andrew is a website designer and graphic artist. We own and maintain photographic websites http://photo.gazzmik.com/ , http://aveteva.com/ and http://retrogression.us/.

I was doing a job recently outside of Dover Plains. Everyday, I passed by this giant ruin at the junction of rt 44 and 343, not knowing what it was. I still don't know what it is, but there is an image of this joint on the retrogression website. It's the black and white image, third thumbnail down on the left. It must be an old asylum or resort. I'll be sure to find out now.

I'm pleased to see the gallery back on task and showing the type of stuff you won't, and probably shouldn't see anywhere else.

Spirit of Beacon Day: some images.

Here are a few images taken by Matthew Freedman of the "Beacon Artists At Large '07" contribution to the Spirit of Beacon Day Parade, Sept 30, 2007. There are more images on flickr, here.

Jill "Brick_HOUWSE" Reynolds

George Mansfield's tape measure evoked the majesty of Princess Di's fairytale wedding and the gentle gregariousness of the turtle from that "can you draw" ad that was always in the TV Guide. I'm just concerned for the #2 pencil to the left. The poor fella looks a bit stiff.

Dan Spitzer demonstrating the slimming, lengthening line effected by this striking hammer ensemble.

Materials, space up for grabs

Alexis Elton is packing up her studio at Spire and heading out to New Mexico in two weeks. She's placed a selection of misc. materials up for grabs in the common area at Spire.
There's some clear vinyl tubing, adhesives, I can't even remember what is there, so if you're into rummaging about for some "mixed media" check it out before it's tossed out.
Also, Alexis' studio will be available for rent. Contact Todd at Spire for details.

Art 21

A motley selection of seating available prior to screening Art 21 at bau.

Five of us gathered to watch the preview screening of Art 21 at bau on Saturday afternoon. two of the four episodes were screened: "Romance" and "Ecology".

Thanks to Jill, Dan and Jeff for putting it all together.

The Beacon Art Salon will be hosting a preview screening of "Protest" at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St. at 7 pm on Friday Evening. Earlier in the day, Dia: Beacon will be screening "Paradox"

Critique group meets tonight at Spire Studios.

Tonight, 7:30 at Spire Studios.
I'll have a few pieces on hand, looking for some feedback. Also we may mosey over to Steve Rossi's studio to check out some of his work.

for more information on tonight, call Sara Mussen at 845.269.1065
or me at 914.844.6515

walk on.

Final days at Concentric Gallery in September.

I took a walk along Main St a couple of weekends ago. It's not something I get to do often as of late. I had made it out to September's Second Saturday for only about half an hour, before my anxiety about some unfinished work sitting back in the studio drove me back in to work. I managed to only stop into the inaugural opening of MJ Art at 177 Main, and then press my face against the window at bau, which was closed, to see Gary O'Connor's piece sitting in the dark.

So I took two weeks before I got around to any other joints. I stopped in to Mount Beacon Fine Art at 155 Main St. which also just opened in September and spoke to the owner, Eileen Mctiernan. She explained that she is directing the gallery toward featuring work by young artists who have little or no exhibition experience and allow them to develop their chops. The gallery is open during the week, and Eleanor plans to teach classes to help support the exhibitions.

Around the bend and up the block, I saw a sign in a paper covered window at 181 Main saying that later this year, an artist collaboration called Gallery 181 will be opening in the space. Later online, I found this listing of the gallery here. I called the number listed for information, but as of yet, I haven't heard back.

When I stopped into Van Brunt, Carl told me about Open Space which also opened in September. I went down and spoke one of the owners, Daniel Weise. During a stint of a couple of years in Denver, Daniel started an art and literary magazine called sherbert. the gallery's location will also serve as workroom and headquarters for the magazine and other the Thundercut art and design studio. The gallery's website states the mission of the space as:

The gallery will primarily explore the intersection of contemporary art and
underground culture. Exhibiting artists with a wide range of influences
including street culture, urban environments, independent music, architecture,
graphic design, zines, illustration and pop culture. By challenging each artist
to use the entire gallery space for their exhibitions and to explore alternative
methods of presentation, OPEN SPACE looks forward to offering a truly unique and
unexpected gallery experience to it's visitors.

An artist discussion by Open Space's current exhibiting artist Michael De Feo on Saturday, Oct 13, at 5pm.

Saturday, Oct 13 9pm - 1am, @ the Piggy Bank

Open Space, along with the Piggy Bank, and Beacon Art Supply will be hosting the Second Saturday After Party on Sept 13, from 9pm - 1am at the Piggy Bank, 448 Main St.

Finally, I stopped in to Kate Rogovin's Concentric Gallery which was in its final days. Kate opened the storefront space in 2004. Ready for a change and a chance to get deep into the studio, she has closed the doors of Concentric and has now taken a studio space in Ron Sauer's building, and she is excited to begin some new weaving and metalwork and focus on that work in a way she wasn't able to while also minding the shop.

Change is good.

MODA reception images.

The post opening sociable sculpture stylings of Adam - but where's he hiding the tap.

Here are a few images from last week's opening reception of The Museum of Drunken Art at bau. There are more images on MODA's blog. Today, Sept 7, is the last day to check out the MODA collection.
Tim Harrod adding to MODA's collection.

Peter Teraberry, left, Director and Curator of MODA speaking with Eleanor White and Karlos Carcamo who facilitated the exhibit at bau.

Paradise Revisited: Alison Moritsugu in Honolulu

Invasive Repeat, Banana Poka, (detail), 2007
digital wallpaper on wood panel 96 x 146 1/2 inches

Alison Moritsugu's exhibit of recent work, Paradise Revisited opened on Oct 5 at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The exibit will run through January 8, 2008.
Alison who was born and raised in Hawai'i says "This new work is about my return visits to Hawai'i and about the changes I have seen affecting the island's culture and land. "

Dec 9, 2007 story in the Honolulu Star Bulletin

Mercy Me

The NYTimes has a review by Alistair Macaulay of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company performances that were going on at Dia:Beacon over the weekend.

All the world is your living room - Art 21 preview screenings

The fourth season of Art 21 will be broadcast on PBS toward the end of this month, but there are numerous preview screenings happening all over the nation, and several locally in the next few weeks.

Here in Beacon, three of the segments will be screened.
Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 4:00 pm - "Romance" & "Ecology" Episodes
Beaconstruction at BAU Beacon Artist Union, 161 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Artists featured : Laurie Simmons, Lari Pittman, Judy Pfaff, Pierre Huyghe,
Ursula von Rydingsvard, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle’ , Robert Adams and Mark Dion

Friday, October 12, 2007 at 7:00 PM - "Protest" Episode
Beacon Art Salon at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Artists featured: Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, An-My Lê, and Nancy Spero

Friday, October 19, 2007 at 2:30 PM - "Paradox" Episode
Dia:Beacon Riggio Galleries, 3 Beekman Street, Beacon, NY
Artists featured: Mark Bradford, Catherine Sullivan, Robert Ryman (Dia:Beacon artist), Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla
Note: This screening is free with admission.

HVCCA in Peekskill will be screening two episodes:
Saturday, October 6th, 2007@ 4:00pm Episode 2: Protest: Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, An-My Lê, and Nancy Spero
Saturday, October 13th, 2007 @ 4:00pm Episode 4: Paradox: Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla, Mark Bradford, Robert Ryman, and Catherine Sullivan

These screenings are being organized in the interest of community access. With that in mind, I'm now wishing a screening would have been organized at the Howland Public Library as the potential to reach a traditionally non-art audience might be extended.

Lettin' the Juices flow: Drunken Art at bau, Sept 29

Bar-Toons by Harrod

"Back in that day [the '50's and '60's] there were 37 bars in Beacon, 28 of them on or near the East Main Street/Main Street corridor..." (from Jack Sine's article, "Miro's Closes - The End of an Era" Beacon Dispatch, Feb, 2006)

The Museum of Drunken Art (MODA) will be exhibiting its collection of drunken art at bau from Sept 29 - Oct. 7. There will be an opening reception on the 29th from 6-9pm.
Here's the press release:

In celebration of the Spirit of Beacon, (MODA) The Museum of Drunken Art is please to announce that its vast holdings of drunken art are coming to Beacon. A combination of drawings, paintings, mixed media, and sculptural work will be showcased. The museum's collection will be on view from Sept 29th – Oct 7th, 2007.
The Museum of Drunken Art was founded by museum director and curator Peter Teraberry as a venue for the display of uninhibited creativity while under the influence of alcohol. Based in Williamsburg Brooklyn, the MODA collection includes drawings made on a host of materials including napkins, found paper, and cardboard, to more elaborate three dimensional sculptural displays.
The MODA collection includes work by: Enoch Emory, Ben Shambaugh, Tom Smrtic, Donald O'Finn, Katie Welty, Sam Crees, Nate Walker PFC, Timothy Miller, Justin Kase, Fred Mc Fate, Peter Teraberry, Some Professor from Pratt, Clayton Vogel-dreck, Shane Caffrey from the collection of Clay Vogel, Paula Bollers, Timothy Harrod, Damien Leibold, Alex Bell, Greg Henderson, Chris Beams, Anthony R. Toe, Ross, Maurice Lester, Rust Post, Scott Harder, Gregg Samosa, Bon Scott, N. E. Vretta, J. Otto, and Fred Thompson.
In addition, one wall in the gallery will be left empty for Beacon donations to the MODA
collection! For further information and samples of the work on view please visit www.themuseumofdrunckenart.blogspot.com
The MODA collection is brought to you by Beaconstruction, Inc, helping to support and enhance the cultural life in Beacon through creative cultural endeavors in what ever form they dictate. Special thanks to museum director/curator Peter Teraberry for amassing such a great collection and to BAU artist Gary O’Conner for allowing us the use of the space.

bau - beacon artist union 161 Main Street Beacon, New York, 12508 Gallery Hours, Sat/Sun 12 - 6 pm & by appt. T 845 440 7584 bauinfo@optonline.net http://www.beaconartistunion.com/

Beacon Art Salon update

The folks at the Beacon Art Salon are planning its second city-wide open studio event to be held on Saturday, December 8, and they are looking for artists interested in participating as well as assisting in the preparations . If you're interested in more information, visit www.giraffeandturtle.com or join the BAS yahoo group.

BAS's monthly meetings are now happening on the First Thursday of every month from 7-8:30 at Chthonic Clash. The next meeting will take place on Oct. 4.

PS. there is an open studio sign making party on Oct. 14 at 1pm. info on this is also on the yahoo group.

"Art as an Impetus for Successful Re-Development", A panel discussion at HVCCA

On Friday, Oct 5 at 6pm, HVCCA in Peekskill will be hosting a panel discussion called "Art as an Impetus for Successful Re-Development."

Speakers on the panel include Maider Bilbao Echeverria (HVCCA's Summer '07 Artist-In-Residence), Linda Lees (Founder of Creative Cities International), and Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz (Art Consultant & Director of Works of Art for Public Spaces).
From HVCCA's website:

Since the clean up of the Hudson River began in earnest some years ago, many
river towns have struggled with regaining economic stability. Areas dependent on
forms of production that were not considered environmentally hostile closed,
creating pockets of unemployment and resultant urban blight. Artists have
historically moved into struggling areas as affordable economic sites. They have
beautified locations left abandoned by others, creating communities that are
exemplars of the potential of rejuvenation. Many towns and communities along the
Hudson River can be seen as case studies for the successes and failures of this
transformative trend. Urban centers from Chelsea to Yonkers, Ossining,
Peekskill, Haverstraw, Tarrytown, Beacon, Poughkeepsie and Hudson, to name just
a few, are experiencing a revival through envisioning their communities as
artists' havens and locations for museums and arts organizations.

The city of Bilbao in the Basque area of Spain will be discussed as a model that has
experienced enormous economic and community revitalization (now commonly
referred to as the "Bilbao Effect") through the arts and, in particular, the
establishment of the Guggenheim Bilbao, a museum complex that is a locus for
international tourism.

Price
HVCCA Members: $7.50
Non-Members: $10.00
Students: $5.00

Sept 29, Dia:Beacon Gallery Talk: Liz Kotz on Max Neuhaus

On Saturday at 1 pm Dia:Beacon's monthly Gallery Talk will host Liz Kotz, Assistant Professor of History of Art at the University of California, Riverside who will give a lecture on Max Neuhaus. To reserve a space for the lecture, call 845.440.0100 ext. 44.

Note: Dia:Beacon will be closing at 2pm that day, Saturday Sept 29 for a special event.

Bulletin Board:

The Beacon Halloween Fest invites artists to participate in the Jack O'lantern event, and parade:

The Jack O’ Lantern Fest is an event in which artists, families, and locals of all kinds are invited to come and carve a great creation from pumpkins! We are hoping as many artists as possible come, carve a pumpkin and light it up as the sun goes down to create a grand spectacle of
Jacks!

We will have about 50 medium sized pumpkins for sale but anyone is welcome to bring a pumpkin or pre-carved Jack to the event.

A contest will be held to judge the best pumpkins in the child and adult categories. Only pumpkins that are carved at the event will be judged.

Refreshments and desserts will also be sold at the event. All proceeds to towards more and better holiday events for next year so come show your support!

Date and Time and other info:
Saturday October 27th from 3pm until just after dusk where we will light ‘em
up! Candles will be supplied but we ask that you bring your favorite carving
tool. Beacon Art Supply has some great tools that make great carvers!

As a side note we welcome all artists to create a float for this year’s Halloween Parade.
For more details visit: www.beaconhalloweenfest.org We hope to see you there!

Beacon Community Center seeks artists for Senior Activities Program.
Program director, Jennifer Kurtz wants to broaden the selection projects in different media, and is looking for artists willing to volunteer to teach a 1-2 hour course. For more on how to volunteer, call the center at 845-831-6180.

Gary O'Connor at bau

Gary O'Connor, Steve Rossi, Peter Iannarelli and Gary Jacketti discuss Gary O's piece.

The TnA Critique group headed over to bau last night to discuss Gary O'Connor's installation currently on view there.
Sara Mussen and Gary Jacketti



Reflections from the aluminum piece on the gallery walls.

An element shared between Gary's current aluminum piece and the pot scour curtain he installed at bau in April of 2006 is the residual pattern of light, shadow and reflection on the walls of the gallery.

Gary O'Connor in the shadow of his installation at bau, April 2006.
photo by Harald Plochberger.

Gary's installation will be deinstalled earlier than is usual. The piece will be on exhibit through. Sept. 23.

Opening on Sept 29 at bau will an exhibit of the collection of the Museum of Drunken Art. Karlos Carcamo is arranging this special engagement with MODA Director, Peter Teraberry. Stay tuned for more information, and info on how to submit your own work of inebriation to the show.

Also, expect info on the special preview screening of the PBS series Art 21, Season 4 on the weekend of Oct. 6 & 7 to be hosted at bau.

Get into the Spirit. ChopChop.

The Spirit of Beacon Parade is coming up in little more than a week, (Sept 30, in fact) and here's what you need to know, from Jill Reynolds:

The group that brought you "The New Hudson River School" award-winning Spirit of Beacon Day 2004 parade entry, aka the "fish float," invites you to be a part of this year's entry: "Building a Better Beacon." Come as your favorite tool! The choice of tool does not have to be limited to hand tools-- powertools and implements from whatever your trade is are welcome as well, anything that fits in with the idea of "Building a Better Beacon." Kitchen implements, art studio gear, tech gadgets, etc. Also materials would be appropriate, e.g. a brick, a bag of flour, a can/tube of paint, etc. And speaking of materials, anything you want to make it out of is fine. The main thing is that it be recognizable as whatever object you're trying to portray. Differences in scale between tools is okay. This is an open invitation. Please SPREAD THE WORD to whomever youthink might be interested. The more the merrier. Also other floats/marchers are to be enthusiastically encouraged, e.g. there is talk of maybe a tree stump contingent forming (on thetheme of creating a worse Beacon...). Anyone who wants to register a float to be in the parade should call Roy Ciancanelli at 845-831-3027 ASAP. The Spirit of Beacon Day is Sunday Sept 30. The parade is scheduled to begin around 12:30 (based on past experience; will get confirmation on exact time later). Rain date is the following Sunday. Our official "Building a Better Beacon" registration form will be arriving in the mail shortly. For any who are interested, want to jump-start their parade costume, have an idea but are not sure how to go about it, there will be a
TOOL-BUILDING WORKSHOP: SATURDAY SEPT 22 at 10 WILLOW ST. from 1:00-5:00pm
Expertise and free advice on costume-building will be available, as well as free electricity and cheery communal spirit. If you think you might want to participate please call or e-mail (dms.jer@verizon.net) so I have some idea of how many to expect. We will have some tools but please bring whatever tools and materials you have as well, including but not limited to:
CARDBOARD, HOT GLUE GUNS + GLUE STICKS, ELMER'S GLUE, WOOD GLUE, PAINT + BRUSHES, CRAFT MATERIALS like glitter, pom-poms, toothpicks, etc., FABRIC FOAM BOARD, BAMBOO, STRING, UTILITY KNIVES AND BLADES, MEASURING TAPES,
PENCILS, KEEP AN EYE OUT DURING THE WEEK FOR STUFF YOU CAN USE.

Alternative Reading: Bill Erlich as Beacon's Saviour?

In the middle of the Summer, in the span of two weeks, I had as many conversations with two people and the topic ran to the development of Beacon as a viable art mecca in the wake of the opening of Dia:Beacon. Each person, active in the arts, one of them more closely involved with the machinations here in town, and the other a knowledgeable viewer from a more distanced position spoke about Erlich as Beacon power broker, and his role in potentially taking up all the oxygen in Beacon's redevelopment potential by swallowing up much of the viable, properties.

Of the planned projects that have been widely known and which have fallen through, and at least one I recently learned about which - could have been rather interesting and which had also fallen through
So here's an alternative take on the strain of thought that Ehrlich's property hoarding choked off the potential for a robust rebound in Beacon's fortunes;  What if Bill Ehrlich's actions, and those of his company, Beacon Terminal Associates, actually helped prevent an even faster frenzy of development that may have had unintended, unfavorable consequences?  What if the Beacon's economic revival/redevelopment, though slower and drawn out, turns out to be more organic, and sustainable for the long run?
Just a thought.

Gatherings tomorrow night

The Beacon Art Salon meets Tuesday, Sept 18 at 6pm at Chthonic Clash.

Later, at 7:30, the monthly critique group will meet at 7:30 at Spire Studios. I'll have a few small things to discuss and get feedback on, then we're planning to head over to bau to discuss Gary O'Connor's installation.

Size Matters: XXL opens at HVCCA this weekend.

HVCCA's next major exhibit opens on Sunday Sept 16. Size Matters: XXL features recent large scale paintings. This exhibit follows Size Matters: XS another exhibit including paintings on a very small scale which continues through Nov.
A reception for Size Matters: XXL and Animal Spirit, an installation by current artist in residence, Maider Bilbao Echevarria will be held Sunday afternoon at 4pm. In addition to the openings there are a series of events for the whole family begining at 11 am. visit HVCCA' website for more info.

CHI: 9 Latin American Artists at Ann Street Gallery

Alejandro Dron is curating the Ann Street Gallery's second exhibit, CHI: 9 Latin American Artists.

The exhibit open on Saturday, Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 27. There will be a reception from 6-9pm on Saturday.

There will also be a gallery talk held on October 21 at 2pm given by Eugene Cuttica called "The Art of Chi."

The Ann Street Gallery is located at 104 Ann St. in Newburgh.

I think they call that a CONVOY

Charlotte Schulz, An insufficiency in our screens: our hurt sang back to mlk when the incompossible appeared. 2006 charcoal on paper 29” x 80”

Among the current offerings at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield CT. is an exhibit of Charlotte Schulz's work. The exhibit titled "An Insufficiency in Our Screens" opened at the museum on August 25 and will be continue through June 2008.

An opening reception will be held on Sunday, Sept 16 from 3 to 5 pm.

From the press releas for the exhibit:

This exhibition will feature a collection of two- and
three-dimensional charcoal drawings that invite the viewer to explore strange
composite architectural spaces in which dreams blend with memory and reality.
Fragments of buildings are tethered together, and interior unfolds into exterior
and back again. Thespaces she renders appear to be unpopulated, allowing the
viewer to easily step in as protagonist.

Charlotte's exhibit "Object Lesson: Drawings & Notebooks" at Parasite in December of 2005 is among my favorite installations ever. There are pictures of the installation on Charlotte's website here. Included with some full scale drawings, was a mass of of sketchbook pages, books and writings in a sort of invocation of Charlotte's working process. I distinctly remember how tiny and dense her writing was. Now that I'm thinking of it. I'm really kicking myself for not buying one of the digital repros of the working sketches and notes. I had intended to do so and didn't - damn it. Unfortunately, it seems that I did not take any photos of the exhibit


It seems we'll be organizing a small regatta of vehicles to head out to the opening. If you're interested in carpooling, shoot me an email and we'll make arrangements.

Sept. 8 Second Saturday Openings

This is what I know of thus far:

Rachel Abrams, "Neologisms" at Go North, 6-9pm
Colin Barclay, Eline Barclay and Robert Brush at Van Brunt Gallery, 6-9pm
"Interpreting Beacon" Group Show at Chthonic Clash, 453 Main St, 5-8pm
Robert Ferrucci, "Vanishing Landscape" at RiverWinds Gallery, 5-8pm
Ron Haviv at Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery, 4-8pm

Ron Haviv's Photographs at Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery

Fovea's next exhibition, opening Sept 8, will feature "The Children of Darfur," photographs by Ron Haviv.

War photojournalist Ron Haviv's images stand as important witness to the
suffering of the children caught in the conflict in Darfur.

A reception will be held at Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery, 143 Main St from 4-8pm.

The following day, Sunday Sept 9, a panel discussion titled "The New Citizen Photojournalism" will be held from 11-12:30 at the Center for Photography at Woodstock, 59 Tinker St, Woodstock.

Robert Stevens, former photo editor at TIME magazine, moderates a
discussion on the empowerment of individuals to tell their own stories and how
this is impacting the field of professional photojournalism.

TnA Critique Session, September 18

The next Critique Session will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 18 starting at 7:30 at Spire Studios.
In an effort to ease the planning for the sessions, a schedule stretching a couple of months in advance has been set up.
Beginning in Oct, the session will meet on the second Tuesday of each month. Spire Studios will be the default meeting place, but as always, the session can be moved elsewhere as needed.

the upcoming critique dates are as follows:
Sept 18.
Oct 9.
Nov 13.
Dec 11.

I'll be posting the schedule and any updates in the sidebar. If you know you'd like to talk about your work at a future session, contact Sara, (the sooner the better) at crazyoutburst@hotmail.com.

Yikes!

So, on the spur of the moment, I thought I'd trade up to Blogger's new blog template. I have not been able to simply paste elements back into the template so easily. So I now have a new task of getting artist links and other goodies back in place. The good thing, I think, about the new template will be the indexing of tags, making past posts more easily searchable. I just have to go back and tag older posts.

I'd been meaning to redesign the blog. this is as good a time as any. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

FYI - I've been planning on asking one artist every six months or so to play around with maykr's color scheme..... so stay tuned for that. I think Elia Gurna is the first person on tap - as long as her pregnancy does not get in our way....

Collaborative Concepts at Saunder's Farm opens Saturday

Collaborative Concepts second exhibit at Saunder's Farm in Cold Spring will be opening this Saturday, Sept 1. A reception is scheduled on the first from 2 to 6pm with a rain date of Sept. 2 from 2 to 6. The exhibit runs through Oct. 31, and there are mid-run and closing receptions scheduled. Information on directions, participating artists, and more can be found at. http://collaborativeconcepts2007.blogspot.com

Dia:Beacon on Bloomberg TV

Beacon Celebutartists James Westwater and Angelika Rinnhofer are included in a television segment on Dia:Beacon produced by Bloomberg TV. Dia Foundation Director, Jeffrey Weiss and Curator Lynn Cooke describe several of the current exhibitions on view. The segment is part of Bloomberg's Muse program, and will be aired several times this weekend. You can watch the Bloomberg Channel locally if you have digital cable on Cablevision channel 101. The segment is also simulcast on Bloomberg TV's website. Bloomberg TV US programming schedule.

The Grand Tour or Summer's fading fast

It's late Summer and that, of course, brings an inordinant number of site specific exhibitions to the area. None of which I've yet managed to get to. But there is still time.

Well, I guess there's still time for a few of them. The Garrison Art Center organized a Sculpture Tour with works placed on the grounds of Boscobel, Manitoga, Garrison's Landing, and the Desomond Fish Library which ended two weeks ago. I caught a glimpse of a tall slender red sculpture at the library as I buzzed by several times on Rt 9D. I have to say, planting some self contained self concious artwork in a landscape generally does so little for me anymore. I viewed a couple other pieces by Judy Sigunick, Karl Saliter and Grace Knowlton when we took a tour of Manitoga in July. When asked about the sculptures, our tour guide did not want to discuss the sculpture as it was outside the purview of the tour in relation to Wright's manipulation of the quarry environment, and I think that was appropriate. What I found funny was her disdain for the work as it represented an interruption of the singular vision of the master's own utopia, besides the fact that some of the vegetation was trampled when some of the pieces were installed.

Then, there is the Kingston Biennial is going on through - Today.

Ok, so some of the gist of this post is, if you haven't seen many of these things. You're just about s.o.l.
Alright, on to the Ellenville 10 x 10 x 10 exhibit of art installations in storefront windows. Karlos Carcamo and Emil Alzamora are both participants. You have until tomorrow to make it to this exhibit.

On the other hand, Beacon's Windows on Main St will be open through Sept 8.

Collaborative Concepts Saunder's Farm outdoor exhibition will be opening next weekend. I'll be posting details on this show today or tomorrow.
Don't forget Storm King's exhibit of Louise Bourgeouis through Nov. 15. Now I know I'll be able to make to that one.
Beth Wilson reviews other outdoor offerings at the Woodstock Artist Guild and Art Omi in the August issue of Chronogram.

What I did this week.

On Saturday, I attended Go North's launch of a program of talks held at the Howland Center as Christopher Stackhouse and John Keene spoke about the collaboration that resulted in the book Seismosis. Christopher's work is currently featured in Go North's "Out of Line" exhibit. The book is available for purchase at the gallery as well as on Amazon.



Audio from the talk will soon be on hand at the gallery for those who are interested.

On Monday night, A and I attended the final Porcine Preview Readings held by Flying Swine at the Howland Center for the Summer. This was the first of the readings that we had attended, and it was fun. Deborah Brevoort's Signs of Life was the subject of the reading. The first two scenes of this play were among those previewed as part of the ' Swine's Taste of Bacon fundraiser shindig last May. Dan Da Silva was back again in the role of the male lead, and he has simply metabolized this role. It's not often that I make it out to see theatre and I know I haven't seen much GOOD theater, but, Dan seems like the kind of actor that takes the medium, and humps it over the fence into something really visceral. It's a fun play, and Da Silva sells it completely.

One thing I missed (by that much) was the monthly critique on Tuesday night. The group started at Spire, then headed down to Main St. to talk about Steve Rossi's, and Peter Iannarelli's WOMS installations. Maider Bilbao Echevarria, the current Artist in Residence at HVCCA. came up for the critique. Maider's exhibit will be opening at the museum in Peekskill on Sept. 16. The next critique is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 18 at 7:30, if you are interested in discussing your work, contact Sara at crazyoutburst@hotmail.com. Sara has layed out an extended schedule for the critiques (which I'll be posting soon) to allow for easy scheduling for everone. I'll have a section in the sidebar with current information on meeting places for each critique.

I did manage, for the first time. to attend a meeting of the Beacon Art Salon at Chthonic Clash on Wednesday. About 10 people were in attendance. The discussion revolved around the upcoming show of BAS members at Chthonic called "Interpreting Beacon" will will be opening on Second Saturday in Sept. (the 8th.) There was some talk about the next city wide open studio the group will be planning in December, and discussion regarding what sorts of activities the group may get into in order to fill the needs of the members. If you are interested in finding out more about BAS, hit the link above. It's free to join, and there is a yahoo group you can sign on to to receive info on opportunities or activities.

This Just in....

Dateline Beacon:

It seems that Robert Brush has reached the required number of signatures to make it on to the ballot in his bid to become Beacon's next Mayor.

2007 Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards

Rick Price's mural on the exterior of theBeacon's Howland Public Library.

The Recipients for the 2007 Dutchess County Executive's Arts Awards were announced last week. This year's Art in Public Places award is going to the Howland Public Library's recently installed mural created by Beacon artist Rick Price. Another Beacon recipient is Sara Pasti who is being presented with a special citation.

All of the award recipients are listed below.

Natalie Merchant, Individual Artist
Pawling Concert Series, Arts Organization
Howland Library Mural, Art in Public Places
Sam and Joanne Rein, Individual Patrons
Adams Fairacre Farms, Business/Corporation
Grace Lalicki with the Rhinebeck School District, Arts in Education
Sara Pasti, Special Citation
Malika Chatlapalli and Emily Holohan, Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts

An awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 18 at the Dutchess County Golf & Country Club. More information can be found at the Dutchess County Arts Council website, www.artsmidhudson.org.

Rockin the Vote

Robert Brush's WOMS 2007 installation at 504 Main St.
photo by angelika rinnhofer

Robert Brush's contribution to this year's Windows On Main St exhibit has an installation/"campaign office" for staging his own campaign for Mayor of Beacon.
In order to be included on the ballot, Robert must submit a petition signed by Beacon residents who are registered to vote. There will be some folks collecting signatures in front of the Key Food throughout the day tomorrow. If you can't make it over, but would like to have your name included on the petition, email me and I'll get you in touch with him.

Tuesday Night Critique, this Tuesday, Aug 21

This month's critique session will be taking place this Tues. at 7:30 at Spire Studios. If you'd like more info, or you'd like to discuss your work at this session, contact Sara at crazyoutburst@hotmail.com .

Images of Panel discussion at Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery

Here are a couple of images from last week's panel discussion on the media, military, and censorship held at Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery. Photos by Angelika Rinnhofer.

(l-r) Captain Thomas Sowers, Suzanne Opton, James Wellford, Todd Heisler, Chris Hondros.

Aug 18, 2pm Go North talk presented at the Howland Cultural Center

This coming Saturday, Aug 18, Go North is sponsoring a talk that is being held in conjunction with the gallery's current "Out of Line" exhibit.
The talk "Drafting a Common (Abstract) Language: Seismosis as Conversation" will be conducted by John Keene and Christopher Stackhouse.

“Drafting a Common (Abstract) Language:
Seismosis as Conversation”. Co-authors of the book Seismosis (1913 Press, 2006),
John Keene and Christopher Stackhouse will explore the process and practice of
conversation across and through distinctive generic lines--visual art and
literature--by discussing and reading poems from and selected texts related to
this collaborative project. Issues they hope to touch upon include the question
of formal and thematic abstraction in specific genres, its relation to questions
of race, identification, and authorial agency and autonomy, and the problematics
of interpretation. How can the artist and poet speak to each other, and are
there languages other than the ones they enact through which to enter their
conversation?

Porcine Preview #5, Aug 20 at the Howland Cultural Center

Flying Swine's fifth Porcine Preview staged reading will happen on Monday, Aug. 20 at the Howland Cultural Center. Deborah Brevoort's Signs of Life will be the selected reading.

The Porcine Previews are Free to the Public, and yes, donations are welcome.
Reservations can be made by calling: (845) 454-3222

DCAC Grant Workshop at Van Brunt Gallery tonight

In the mad rush of other things, this item was pushed to the fringe. The Dutchess County Arts Council is holding a grant workshop tonight from 6:30-8:30 at Van Brunt Gallery. The workshop offers advice for those wishing to apply for NYSCA's Decentralization Grants in Dutchess and Ulster Counties.

You are asked to telephone the Council ahead of time at (845) 454-3222 if you plan on attending the workshop. More info is also at DCAC's website, www.artsmidhudson.org

Old BHS building plea on agenda for Aug 14 City Council Workshop Agenda

A letter to members of the Beacon City Council sent on behalf of a coalition of interested residents, businesses and non profits has been included on the agenda for tomorrow evenings workshop session of the City Council.

The letter urges the City to consider buying the property and keeping the building in the public domain as a possible mixed use facility that might serve as community center, home base for local non profit and city services as well as the Howland Public Library and leasing office and studio space.

The City Council Workshop will take place at the Municipal Center starting at 7pm. The workshop is open to the Public, although there is no opportunity for public opinion. Information on City Council Meeting and Workshop agendas and minutes are available at www.cityofbeacon.org.

Fun Fun Fun

So indeed, tomorrow is Second Sat, and again there is fun for the whole family.
Earlier in the day, the kids can enjoy building and flying homemade kites with the Flyit event happening on the corner of Main and Cross, in the grassy lot next to RiverWinds.
Later in the evening, in the same location, Fovea, which has a program of events tomorrow will be presenting a slide show.

Don't forget the weekly wine tastings that happen at Artisan Wine Shop.

Receptions are happening at Go North, Van Brunt, bau, RiverWinds, Bannerman Island Gallery, Wildwood gallery, and undoubtedly more. You can find the appropriate links in the sidebar.

Also opening tomorrow is the Windows on Main St. There will be a walking tour of the artist windows beginning at 3pm at the Muddy Cup. Come by and enjoy a little fresh air before the openings kick off later in the afternoon and evening.

Ulster County Community Free Day at Dia:Beacon tomorrow

Ulster County residents with valid id. will be admitted to Dia:Beacon for free tomorrow.

The museum offers such Community Free Days throughout the year for residents of area counties. The upcoming schedule for Community Free Days is as follows.

October 13, 2007: Rockland County

December 8, 2007: Westchester County

February 9, 2008: Dutchess County

April 12, 2008: Columbia County

June 14, 2008: Orange County

August 9, 2008: Putnam County

It Is Our War Panel Discussion, Aug 11 @ Fovea

As a part of the current exhibition, It Is Our War, Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery at 143 Main St. will be hosting a panel discussion on Saturday Aug 11 at 5pm.
The panel discussion, "Media, Military, and Censorship" will include Todd Heisler, Chris Hondros, Suzanne Opton, Captain Thomas Sowers of West Point, and Jamie Wellford, of Newsweek Magazine.
Pulitzer prize winning photojournalist Todd Heisler of the New York Times, Getty Images photographer Chris Hondros, and photographer Suzanne Opton discuss the circumstances behind their powerful photographic stories with Captain Thomas Sowers of West Point. The panel will be moderated by Jamie Wellford, International Photo Editor of Newsweek Magazine.

At 8pm, the panel will be followed by an outdoor slide show presented by Seen Unseen, featuring essays by photojournalists on international topics.
The slide show will be shown at the northeast corner of Main and Cross Streets, one block east of the gallery. Bring blankets for seating on grass. Both events are free and open to the public.

"It is Our War” Exhibit is showing through August 31, 2007. Fovea is open Thursday to Sunday throughout the summer, 11am to 6pm, and by appointment.
Tours available, please call 845 765 2199

Action for low cost health Ins. for Upstate NY artists

Fractured Atlas, an organization, supporting artists is seeking names of artists in upstate NY who are in need of low cost insurance.
Fractured Atlas has programs that provide low cost health insurance for artists in the NYC area, and the organization is in talks with GHI to establish a similar options for upstate. GHI has asked the group to demonstrate a need for such a program by submitting names and zip codes of artists who would take advantage of such an option if it were offered. Fractured Atlas is hoping to gather 2,000-3,000 names, and the more the better.

The collection of names will act as a petition for the purpose of demonstrating the need for low cost health insurance for upstate artists. Neither Fractured Atlas or GHI will contact you.

If you are interested in adding your name to the list, email Mary Ortiz at marie.ortiz@fracturedatlas.org with the subject line reading: "Upstate NY Healthcare Initiative"

Also, if you're reading this, please pass it along to your contacts.

Invitational exhibit opening at GAS

The new artist run GAS gallery in Poughkeepsie is opening its second exhibit tomorrow night. GAS is located at 196 Main St. in POK.
This exhibit is an invitational group show featuring work by:

Lori ADAMS, Roberta ALLEN, Nava ATLAS, Dick CRENSON, Stacie FLINT, Lowell HANDLER, Kris HEDLEY, Jeep JOHNSON, Jeff JOHNSON, MEADOW, Mark MacKINNON, Leslie PELINO, Karen ROFF and Tilly STRAUSS

The show runs through Sept 9, and tomorrow's reception will be held from 5-8pm.